FORT COLLINS COLORADOAN - For the first time last week, Brithany Gutierrez went public with where she was born.

The 18-year-old Colorado State University sophomore had spent a decade telling even her closest friends that she was born in Denver. The truth was her family came to Northern Colorado from Mexico with a visa to care for her ailing grandfather.

When the visa expired, Gutierrez's family remained. She was 8.

Gutierrez began telling her story publicly for the first time Nov. 14. She organized a peaceful demonstration that day “to show support for undocumented students on campus,” according to the event’s Facebook page.

Hundreds gathered in the Lory Student Center Plaza, carried signs and stood in solidarity with CSU’s population of undocumented students.